Applications of Accelerators

Dr. Suzie Sheehy University of Oxford and ASTeC/STFC/RAL

Plenary ECFA Meeting20th November, 2015

CERN

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• “A beam of particles is a very useful tool...”

-Accelerators for Americas Future Report, pp. 4, DoE, USA, 2011

There are roughly 35,000 accelerators in the world(Above 1 MeV…)

Radiotherapy accelerators

Ion implanters, surface & bulk modification

Industrial processing and research

Low energy accelerators for research

Medical radioisotope production

Synchrotron light sources

High energy accelerators for research (E>1GeV)

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Outline

1. Medical imaging and treatment

2. Industrial uses of accelerators

3. Synchrotron light sources

4. Neutron sources

5. Energy and security applications

6. Historical & cultural applications

1. Medical Applications

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• Around 1/3 of people in the will die from cancer… • But diagnosis is no longer a death sentence!

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Linac

Foil to produce x-rays

Collimation system

X-ray radiotherapy

Image: copyright Varian medical systems

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Charged Particle Therapy

Bragg Peak

• Greater dose where needed

• Less morbidity for healthy tissue

• Less damage to vital organs

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– “Hadron therapy” = Protons and light ions• Used to treat localised cancers• Less morbidity for healthy tissue• Less damage to vital organs• Particularly for childhood cancers

Proton therapy

With X-raysWith Protons

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A few developments

Spot Scanning Proton Radiography Gantries

FFAG Accelerators Dielectric Wall Accelerators

Laser Plasma Accelerators

HEP community can contribute accelerators AND other expertise!

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• Positron emission tomography (PET) uses Fluorine-18, half life of ~110 min

Radioisotope production• Accelerators (compact

cyclotrons or linacs) are used to produce radio-isotopes for medical imaging.

• 7-11MeV protons for short-lived isotopes for imaging

• 70-100MeV or higher for longer lived isotopes

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• Fluorodeoxyglucose or FDG carries the F18 to areas of high metabolic activity• 90% of PET scans are in clinical oncology

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Radiopharmaceuticalsp, d, 3He, 4He beams

Isotopes used for PET, SPECT and Brachytherapy etc…

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2. Industrial accelerators

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Ion implantation

• Electrostatic accelerators are used to deposit ions in semiconductors.

Images courtesy of Intel

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Electron beam processingIn the US, potential markets for industrial electron beams total $50 billion per year.

33% Wire cable tubing32% Ink curing17% shrink film7% service5% tires6% other

When polymers are cross-linked, can become: • stable against heat, • increased tensile strength, resistance to cracking • heat shrinking properties etc

http://rsccnuclearcable.com/capabilities.htm

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Equipment sterilisationManufacturers of medical disposables have to kill every germ on syringes, bandages, surgical tools and other gear, without altering the material itself.

E-beam sterlisation works best on simple, low density products.

Advantages: takes only a few seconds (gamma irradiation can take hours)

Disadvantages: limited penetration depth, works best on simple, low density products (syringes)

The IBA rhodotron – a commercial accelerator used for e-beam sterilisation

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Food irradiation

In the US all irradiated foods have this symbol

‘Cold pasteurisation’ or ‘electronic pasteurisation’ Uses electrons (from an accelerator) or X-rays produced using an accelerator.

The words ‘irradiated’ or ‘treated with ionising radiation’ must appear on the label packaging.

Foods authorised for irradiation in the EU:

Lower dose Higher dose

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Other uses in industry…• Hardening surfaces of artificial joints• Removal of NOx and SOx from flue gas emissions• Scratch resistant furniture

Irradiating topaz and other gems with electron beams to change the colour

Treating waste water or sewagePurifying drinking water

3. Synchrotron Light Sources

Image courtesy of ESRF

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What is synchrotron radiationSynchrotron radiation is emitted by charged particles when accelerated radially

Produced in synchrotron radiation sources using bending magnets, undulators and wigglers

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Synchrotron radiation: microwaves to hard x-rays (user can select)High flux = quick experiments!

Pulsed structure = resolution of processes down to picoseconds

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Diffraction pattern from pea lectin

© CCLRC

Hard condensed matter scienceApplied material scienceEngineeringChemistrySoft condensed matter scienceLife sciencesStructural biologyMedicineEarth and scienceEnvironmentCultural heritageMethods and instrumentation

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Biology

A synchrotron X-ray beam at the SSRL facility illuminated an obscured work erased, written over and even painted over of the ancient mathematical genius Archimedes, born 287 B.C. in Sicily.

Archeology/Heritage

Reconstruction of the 3D structure of a nucleosome (DNA packaging) with a resolution of 0.2 nm

Synchrotron Radiation Science

Using X-Ray induced fluorescence

4. Neutron Spallation Sources

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‘Neutrons tell you where atoms are and what atoms do’

https://youtu.be/VESMU7JfVHU?t=21

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ISIS Accelerators and Targets• H- ion source (17 kV)• 665 kV H- RFQ• 70 MeV H- linac• 800 MeV proton synchrotron• Extracted proton beam lines• Targets• Moderators

Pulsed beam of 800 MeV(84% speed of light) protonsat 50 HzAverage beam currentis 230 muA (2.9× 1013 ppp)

184 kW on target (148 kW to TS-1 at 40 pps, 36 kW to TS-2 at 10 pps).

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Image courtesy ISIS, STFC.

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Understanding the build up of Asphaltenes in oil pipes

Stresses in Airbus A380 Wing

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5. Energy and Security Applications

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Cargo scanning

Image source: Varian medical systems

Cargo containers scanned at ports and border crossings

Accelerator-based sources of X-Rays can be far more penetrating (6MV) than Co-60 sources.

Container must be scanned in 30 seconds.

Image: dutch.euro

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Materials testing for fusion

“deuterium-tritium nuclear fusion reactions will generate neutron fluxes in the order of 1018 m-2s-1 with an energy of 14.1 MeV that will collide with the first wall of the reactor vessel”

Source: IFMIF.org

Installation of ‘LIPAc’ test accelerator has started in Japan

International Fusion Material Irradiation Facility (IFMIF)

40 MeV2 x 125mA linacsCW deuterons, 5MW eachBeams will overlap onto a liquid Li jetTo create conditions similar to in a fusion reactor

To de-risk IFMIF, first a test accelerator ‘LIPAc’ is being built

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Accelerator Driven Systems

Thorium

Transmutation of nuclear waste isotopes or energy generation

Major challenges for accelerator technology in terms of beam power (>10MW) and reliability

6. Historical and cultural applications

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Radiocarbon Dating

For more accuracy, isolate C-14 from other isotopes“AMS” = Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

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Finally, just one more application…

“In a recent and spectacular case, American collector William Koch sued a German wine dealer, claiming four bottles – allegedly belonging to former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson – purchased for 500,000 dollars, were fake. The case has yet to be settled.”

- http://www.cosmosmagazine.com

Detecting wine fraud

Use ion beam to test the bottle of “antique” wine – chemical composition of the bottle compared to a real one.

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“A beam of the right particles with the right energy at the right intensity can shrink a tumor, produce cleaner energy, spot suspicious cargo, make a better radial tire, clean up dirty drinking water, map a protein, study a nuclear explosion, design a new drug, make a heat-resistant automotive cable, diagnose a disease, reduce nuclear waste, detect an art forgery, implant ions in a semiconductor, prospect for oil, date an archaeological find, package a Thanksgiving turkey or…

…discover the secrets of the universe.”

Next time someone asks you what accelerators are for…

-Accelerators for Americas Future Report, pp. 4, DoE, USA, 2011